Man Shook 7-Month-Old Baby Nephew To Death While Babysitting For His Sister

A man from Springfield, Missouri has been sentenced to life in prison on Friday, Jan. 7, for the brutal and shocking murder of his sister’s 7-month-old baby, whom he was babysitting at the time of the murder.

Marc Carrier, a 31-year-old man, was charged with abuse or neglect of a child and for second-degree felony murder, both of which he pleaded guilty to on August 2021, according to the Springfield News-Leader.

Carrier was living with his sister at the time, and he babysat her four kids whenever she was at work. All of the four kids were reportedly under six at the time of the murder, including the seven-month-old infant that he killed, Law&Crime reported.

Emergency Medical Services were called in August 2019 to Carrier’s sister’s house due to an unresponsive baby. The infant was pronounced dead on the scene after life-saving measures that were given to them failed to resuscitate the child.

Carrier told the police that he accidentally dropped the child on a swing, meaning no harm to the child, but an autopsy confirmed that the death was a homicide and that the baby had injuries that could be linked to extreme shaking.

Among the people who testified in the case was a doctor with expertise on child abuse and the medical examiner who did the autopsy. A statement from Carrier’s sister advocated for him to receive a life sentence, while Carrier’s mother had a statement asking for a lenient sentence.

Judge Thomas Mountjoy, who decided on the life sentence handed down to Carrier, heard arguments from the prosecution for a life sentence and arguments from Carrier’s lawyer asking for a more lenient sentence of 10 years in prison.

Carrier and his lawyer did not release a statement regarding his sentence. It is not known as of press time where he will spend the life sentence.